Presidency In 2007 For ExtraStates?

By

Ben Okereke

norabenok@yahoo.com

 

The indegene (state of origin) syndrome in practice in Nigeria which limits a Nigerian citizen access to some amenities located outside his/her state of origin is weighing heavily against the people of the Southeast zone. Realities on the ground today lend absolute credence to this. At any given time, the large population of indegenes of the Southeast, which must for self-fulfillment purposes depend on the comparatively disproportionate five-states' structure in the area is overwhelming. The difficulties been encountered by the large number of people that must descend on the zone struggling for the scarce, comparatively disproportionate federal resources/amenities available to the zone is, to say the least, crippling human development in the area, and invariably, affecting Nigeria adversely. It is the same picture at the federal level of government where the vast crowd of people of Southeast origin is meant to scramble for the comparatively scant positions meant for the m within the five-states' structure in deference to the Federal Character principles.

 

The Southeast zone is the home base of a very big proportion of Nigeria's population. Just a few people would want to dispute that. Go west, north or South of Nigeria, in the living centers, after the indegenous population, that of the origins of the Southeast comes next in numerosity. In the diaspora, the Igbo population is Nigeria's largest. Yours truly has no room for ethnic jingoism, but taking cognizance of the Igbos with origins outside the Southeast zone, as well as the aforementioned population distribution in the country, it may not be out of place to state that the Igbo is the largest ethnic group in Nigeria. The 2006 census exercise refused to reveal this.

 

However, it is imperative to highlight the reality that the ratio of the population of people of Southeast origin living in and out of the zone that are often constrained to share the scarce federal resources and amenities available to the five states of the zone by far outnumbers the ratios obtainable in other zones in Nigeria. The Federal Character clause that determines who gets what in Nigeria - placement in educational institutions, enlistment, promotion and positioning  in the law enforcement agencies, the civil service, political appointments, etc, - ensures that the indegenes of the Southeast zone are not considered according to their numerical strength.

 

Again, given their numerical strength, it is obvious from the foregoing that the people originating from the Southeast zone are currently under-represented at the National Assembly. That this phenomenon goes a long way to stifle their aspirations as well as participation in the Nigerian project and political process cannot be a subject of debate.

 

But reality checks show that should there be a continuation of State policies that tend to stymie the widely acknowledged creativeness and self-pride inherent in the Igbo man, Nigeria must always be poorer for that. And the tiny few who take pride in fostering this, and who could afford to lay their hands on the nation's treasury and natural resources get richer. Historically, no nation has ever survived by adopting policies aimed at repressing a chunk of its population such as the Igbo constitutes in Nigeria. If Nigeria must develop, the Igbo must not have to be made to beg for what is due to it. Common sense dictates this considering the size and distribution of the Igbo population in this country.

 

Since the last states' creation exercise, the people of the Southeast have consistently asked for the creation of more states in the zone for the sake of equity and justice. And during the last National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC), the zone repeated its demand for extra states to match and satiate the evidently large population of people that swoops down or depends on the five-states at any given time in search of self-fulfillment. It did not take much to convince the progressives in the conference as to the veracity and justification for this demand. Extra state(s) for the Southeast was agreed upon and included among the recommendations to be presented to the National Assembly for approval. The agreement had the aim of moving Nigeria forward; and faster.

 

How the conference and its recommendations ended up is now history. But no sooner had the National Assembly dumped those recommendations because of the vexed issue of 'Third Term' than politicians, editorials and senior columnists across the country started querieng the rationale behind throwing away the baby with the bath tub. What about the issue of creation of extra states in some areas? This was the question mostly asked by politicians and columnists among others regarding the vital recommendations of the conference aimed at moving the nation forward.

 

Many of the principal officers of the ruling Peoples Democratioc Party (PDP), responded by stating that the party would reopen the recommendations if elected into office come 2007.

 

The other day, the PDP kicked off its presidential campaigns at Lagos. Many expected that re-emphasizing before the electorate present that it would sponsor the amendment of the country's constitution with a view to carry along every section of Nigeria would be its magic wand to win the elections. On the recent campaign trip of the party to Anambra and Enugu states, there was no ample pronounciation on the desire of the Southeast for more states. The party's flag bearer acknowledged the rally was the biggest the party had so far had and the people were told their efforts shall be rewarded. So far, no body knows with what. The All Nigerian Peoples Party flag bearer skirted round the issue of political restructuring during his early campaign outings. We are yet to observe the positions of the other contending political parties on this.

 

Of course, one is aware that leaders in the Southeast zone are aware that this time of electoral campaigns is the prized time for the people of the zone to lay out their desires openely before the contending political parties and the rest of Nigeria. There may not be any better time. Given the enormous population of the people originating from the Southeast, there is no doubt their votes must this time, be applied as a strong bargaining instrument to redress the imbalances weighing heavily against the zone.. The clergy man from Enugu that insisted on 'no voter's card, no Holy Communion' before the members of his congregation knew what he was talking about. For now, it is obvious that the votes of the people of the Southeast, nay, the Igbo are likely to play a major role in who next occupies the near-imperial seat of Nigeria's president. These votes must be used wisely. A political party can succede in rigging elections only in an area where it has substantial support. The peop le of the Southeast must use these votes to insist on righting the wrongs of decades' old punitive political imbalance obstructing their advancement, and invariably, the advancement of Nigeria.

 

The existent realities on Nigeria's political turf now begs the question: Must the Southeast trade the presidency in 2007 for extra states for the zone? The answer to this question must come from its leaders. But we must not forget the reality that devoid of any  reforms of the political status quo, the miserly five-states structure available to the Southeast's teeming population, sure, must always play against its people on every level of Nigeria's politics. The five-states structure also plays its people against themselves. The squabbles arising from the inadequacies inherent in the meagre five states for the enormous population of people originating from the Southeast are apparent in nearly all the states in the zone. The problems posed by the numerous population as well as the varying contending groups massed up in the present Anambara and Imo states are daily becoming intricate before us. Solution to this is more states for the Southeast zone. The tactic of dismissing th e just agitations of the people of the zone by heaping blames on some of their leaders who are said to accept to be used as baits to frustrate the collective interests of the people no more earns applause. The tactic equally plays against the collective interest of Nigeria.

 

All these weighed against the backdrop of the fact that the Southeast zone has not failed to contribute the best of its abundant human resources and oil revenues for the up-keep of Nigeria speak volumes about the people's attitude, especially, its elite, to contemporary Nigeria. This zone is house to one of the three pillars on which Nigeria was rooted when she fought for and gained her independence from the colonial masters. The historical fact is there that on the eve of Nigeria's independence, leaders of Southeast origin refused to accept the leadership of Nigeria in order to keep the country one. The zone must therefore be given what is due to it. This is the time of electioneering campaigns, a time for quid pro quo, and above all, another opportunity for the politicians to decide on whether or not to remove the barriers to Nigeria's development. A stitch in time saves nine. Nigeria must not continue to be poorer! Ben Okereke

norabenok@yahoo.com